Page 325 - Mike Ratner CC - WISR Complete Dissertation - v6

When you want the participation to flow and for folks to really feel invested in following

the rules, the best way to go is to have the group develop them as one of the first steps in the

process. This builds a sense of power in the participants ("Hey, she isn't telling us how to act. It's

up to us to figure out what we think is important!") and a much greater sense of investment

following rules.

Common rules are: (Community Tool Box)

1. One person speaks at a time

2. Wait your turn and/or raise your hand if you have something to say

3. Listen to what other people are saying

4. No mocking or attacking other people's ideas

5. Be on time coming back from breaks (if it's a long meeting)

6. Respect each other

While facilitators have important tasks to accomplish (as shown above) they have to get

through an agenda to make sure that important issues are discussed, the most important thing is

what the participants in the meeting have to say. So, focus on how the meeting is structured and

run to make sure that everyone can participate is the basic role of facilitation while also tracking

details of the dimensions (Table 4.2) that emerge from facilitator interviews, including: promoting

health and wellness; assuming a dual role (formal and informal); co-constructing safety;

processing tension, disagreement and discomfort; listening deeply; honoring the experience of

others; and letting the dialogue go its own way.

306